Love Paulo Coelho

You can become blind by seeing each day as a similar one. Each day is a different one; each day brings a miracle of it's own. It's just a matter of paying attention to its miracles. 
--Paulo Coelho

Magic in Any Language

For the past 9 months I have been doing ESL tutoring. I love it!  How do I know I love it? Because I arrive tired and leave at 9:00 after a full day of work feeling totally alive and energized!!  There are students from France, Panama, Ecuador, Somalia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Libya, Uzbekistan, and Kazakastan. I learn so much from them and see how hard they work, how hard they try because they want to speak English well, they want to get good jobs, they want to realize dreams for their families. They are just like all of us. And they have such gratitude for us, their teachers. They truly appreciate the work we put into the class. It makes you feel good. A few weeks ago, Amira from Libya told me I have a kind face. Shirley, from Ecuador told me she loved me because I could explain things to her in Spanish. Tonight, when I was getting ready to leave, Amira came up to me and with a big smile said, "I really like your class."  What a boost! What a high! To me, this is magic!!

London Calling

Did you ever have a feeling -- or maybe not just a feeling -- but pure knowledge that something was going to happen? You just knew it in your soul? This happened to me this summer and I'm just now posting this magical event! I had been working on a training project at work that would be rolled-out in New York, India, and London in August and September. It was a five week training program. I was working on a portion of the training but based on what I was doing, there was no reason for me to travel to any of these sites. However, I was asked to go to New York for a week. This did make sense because I could help train the instructors on my part of the program during the initial train the trainer and help implement it during the first couple of days. While there during that first week, my boss realized they needed some additional help and asked if I could stay on the project there in NY for the entire five weeks. Luckily, my personal life is flexible enough that I was able to do it. I did get to come home a few times. Staying in NY for five weeks itself was unbelievable because I really didn't think there would be any reason for me to be more involved than I was. Since I love to travel and love NY, this was really exciting!  I also wanted to be more involved in the project.

Everyone else in the group was continuing on with the training roll-out in London in September. Again, there should have been no reason for me to go. Everyone was talking about what they were going to do in London and I was very jealous. But -- here's where the "feeling" comes in -- I just had this strong feeling or knowledge that I would be going. A couple of weeks into the New York event, my boss again determined that more help was needed and asked if I could go to London for three weeks!!!  Of course I could!!! I was excited but I have to say not really surprised. My soul seemed to know all along that I would be going. All my career I have wanted to travel internationally and work globally. I took this job a year ago for this kind of opportunity. Finally, it happened!!

When I got back I immediately went to my vision board. There in the section of travel were the pictures of the Union Jack, passport, and Big Ben I had pasted on there way back in January! 

11:11 11-11-11

Wow, I've been away too long. But today is supposed to be THE MAGICAL DAY of the century - 11-11-11 and 11:11 on 11-11-11 even more magical. They said to make a wish or two at that time. So, at 11:11 I sat in front of the clock and let my mind open and make wishes.First, it came to me that each 1 in 11:11 11-11-11 was a person, a person in my life. While there wasn't enough time at 11:11 to make a wish for each of these 1s, I will think of wishes throughout the day. What came to me, though, was the overall wish that none of these "1s" would ever be hurt by anything that I - me 1 - might wish for. Tonight there is one more shot, 11:11 pm but that time might pass me by. And for those places that go by 24 hour clock time, its' really 23:11, so no significance at all! I made my wishes at 11:11 on 11-11-11! Did you?

Skype Magic

Sunday, 4/10/11 was an amazing day! I Skyped with Juan, Agueda, and Irene for over an hour. I set up the call to talk about the possibility of setting up a Skype conversation between Irene's English class and Alex's Spanish class. His teacher had asked me about it. We talked about that and more for over an hour.

Then later – the most amazing thing – the nun in Nicaragua Skyped me from the cathedral in Manauga and bayb Milagro was theres - or I should call her by her full name - Maria Teresa de los Milagros! They call her Teresita. She was so beautiful!!! She is now 9 months old and appears to be very healthy and happy. Her parents were not there – they were working – but her grandmother brought her! We talked for about 20 minutes! It was incredible. I love Skype! I love modern technology that allows us to be in touch with friends and miracles around the world! I realized -- it's one of those "futuristic" things we used to see in Sci Fi movies or on the Jetsons that has come true - phones with video.

A Photo Coincidence Across the Ocean

This happened last week but I didn't have time to post this. I was going through old pictures and found some to post on Facebook - just some special old photos I had found of people I'm friends with now on Facebook - that I thought they'd enjoy seeing. I found one of Dwight and I with Sue and Bruce Yoder from one of our camping trips. I finally got around to posting the picture on Facebook. Not more than 10 minutes later I had a message from Sue. Here is what she said: Suzanne Yoder OMG!! You guys gave us this photo framed when we moved from OH to TX. I brought it with me to Paris and just put it up on the shelf in the kitchen TODAY.

My Innermost Being and Reality

Magic came my way today as it often does, via Facebook. Someone posted this quote and it really struck a chord with me, it really resonated with the way I've been feeling lately.

"People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life.... I think what we’re really seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonance within our innermost being and reality, so that we can actually feel the rapture of being alive."-Joseph Campbell

I have such a longing to be in Spain and to travel. I've never understood why or why it drives me so crazy, why the attraction to these things. This quote gave me what Oprah calls "an aha moment." I realized that Spain and travel are life experiences that resonate with my "innermost being and reality" and when I'm in Spain or when I'm traveling I feel the "rapture of being alive."

I think some people have this "innermost being and reality" stronger than others. Having it so strongly can be both a blesing and a curse. It's a blessing because when you have those life experiences you feel the rapture and it's like nothing else. But, it's a curse because when you don't have those life experiences, when you are not living them, you feel a terrible longing and discontent. You feel like you are not living the life you should be. I kind of envy those people who don't feel something so strongly.

This quote was magic for me today because I can put a label on my longing and discontent. Spain and traveling abroad are the life experiences that resonate with my innermost being. Maybe I'll never know why these things are my reality but they are. So, the magic I'm seeking now are how to get more of these life experiences.